Getting Caught Up In Upstate New York

Tuesday, August 30 - Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Middlesex, New York

Tuesday Tessa and I laze around home for most of the day before heading to Buffalo. Run a couple errands, have a late dinner, and pick Bill up from the airport at 12:45 AM. Yay!!! He's home!

The highway is much easier to navigate in the dark without the heavy rain, but I still marvel at just how pitch black it is with zero lighting. I realize that with snow and snow-removal equipment it isn't practical to have the lane reflectors we're used to on the west coast, although I'm not sure why the signs have no lights.

Wednesday we stay home and get each other caught up with our individual adventures. A very good lunch on the lake at When Pigs Fly BBQ Pit in Barcelona is about all we do on our last day in Westfield. It has been a great place to begin our three to four weeks in upstate New York.

At the recommendation of good friends Dave and Sue, we part ways with I-90 and make Hwy 20 our route for crossing the top of the state. As this is the area they've called home for years, I know we'll be seeing some beautiful country. I also figure they're tired of my whining about the toll roads.......

The nice drive through small towns and large farms brings us to our turn off just east of Lake Canandaigua. We make a right turn in the little burg of Potter, taking a narrow, well-maintained road to Flint Creek Campground. It's a bit "out-of-the-way," but I was able to get a spot over the holiday weekend with FHUs. The grass sites are very large, with nice shade trees, picnic tables, and fire rings. Even with the shade we're able to get satellite. But no cell or internet connection at all, and really lousy water pressure :-(. This does not bode well for a week's stay.

There are only two other RVs in this section with a dozen or more seasonals in the rest of the park. But a swimming pool, large play area, and events planned for the weekend, mean there are likely to be lots of families joining us. 

We wake up Friday morning to nice cool temps and low humidity - heavenly!! I even have a sweatshirt on when we head out for nearby Naples.  

The RSMC Cummings Nature Center is a 900 acre preserve donated to the Rochester Museum by the Cummings family. There is a small interpretive center, five miles of trails, an old saw mill, sugar shack, and pioneer cabin. 

We combine the Pioneer and Haudenosaunee for just under two miles of forest trails. Some areas the roots make watching where you step the priority, but much of the way is a nice, spongy path that's great for walking. 

Signs leading to the 18th century pioneer cabin share diary entries from two children who traveled west - they are not from the family who lived in this cabin, but certainly could be. The cabin itself is small and not maintained, and includes items from the era it was built. 

Telling the story of the move west using children's diary entries.

Most entries talk of challenges with weather and work, balanced with excitement over all the new things they're experiencing. It's a very fun exhibit.

The pioneers of today are much taller!

Mud and grass mortar

We both comment on how uncomfortable bras were back then.

The plastic box throws off the step back in time.

Whatever this is, Tessa was freaked out, and took several minutes to get close enough to get a sniff.

Bill spied this little guy on the path.

About the size of my thumb.

We didn't walk the Helen Gordon Trail which includes paintings of the area's birds, but we did enjoy the Haudenosaunee Trail with paintings by Seneca artist Ernest Smith.

I imagine he would be very pleased to know his work is used to educate local children on the culture of his people.

Each painting includes information about the traditional activity shown.

This is my favorite of the dozen pieces displayed here.

The colors are muted except for this more vivid one of gathering plants for medicine.

The same colors are found in the nature that surrounds his art.

The creek is nearly dry, and the wildflowers are mostly gone to seed, but there is still a lovely variety of life in this beautiful forest.

Fungi grows in shade of a log.

Tiny mushrooms survive among the branches along the trail.

The creek continues to trickle through the rocks.

Another little toad crosses the foot bridge.

A slight breeze flutters a million leaves

Nature finds a way.

If you're in the area, this little gem is well worth the $3 per person entry fee. Doggies on leash are welcome.

In the afternoon we return to find dozens of our new best friends have arrived. Many have large tents and extra vehicles, but the sites are so big that there's room for everyone. Surprisingly, while everyone has dogs, only three sites have children. Of course our immediate neighbors have three - and an old lab who "sings" like he's dying at regular intervals. Makes us laugh every time :-)

The gang's all here - we're toward the back on the left.

Over the three-day-weekend we take several trips just driving around the countryside. We continue to marvel at the lovely farms and quaint villages. We visit four of the Finger Lakes - Conesus, Honeoye, Canandaigua and Seneca. We pick up fresh produce from small stands along the road. Is there anything better tasting than a fresh tomato??? 

Mennonite families drive buggies and ride bicycles alongside convertibles and tractors on the highways. Every little town has a large cemetery on the main road with markers ranging from ornate shrines to simple curved headstones. There are very few signals, and zero track homes. 

Lake Honeoye

There are fast and fancy boats 

But there's still lots of fun to be had in smaller and slower.

A bit windy on the dock

Much better over here.....

Many of the silos are already dressed up for Halloween

Overackers Corners School, 1894

Lake Canandaigua

The water is so clear

Farmland

Local cemetery

I've been craving German food, and Rheinblick in Canandaigua is wonderful.

Hanging flowers on steroids.

Monday morning we are entertained for a few hours as all of our neighbors pack up and head for home. It is amazing how much work goes into camping for a couple days - especially with bumper-pulls and tents! By noon everyone is gone.

All to ourselves

We make a run to town for a few groceries, then spend the evening enjoying a quiet campfire and the changing colors of the sky overhead.

The temps have been rising over the weekend and Tuesday we're once again near 90 degrees. As wonderful as it is to have the place to ourselves, we're not comfortable outdoors. We're ready for some Internet and decent water pressure as well. So although we have reservations here until Thursday we decide this will be our last night in Middlesex. 

Wednesday we only travel 30 miles to Seneca Falls, New York, where there are some great places I'm looking forward to visiting!